In order to sort an object such as an apple it is necessary to use the weight of the object rather than its dimension, as apples, unlike eggs, oranges, or the like are often irregularly shaped. Thus devices are known wherein the incoming objects pass down a trough or the like provided with the plurality of spring-type balances which shunt off to side chutes objects greater or less than a predetermined weight, with the weight cut-off point increasing or decreasing in the direction of travel.
Such devices are usually extremely complicated and, hence, often out of order. Various scale mechanisms must constantly be adjusted for proper operation. Furthermore it is necessary to take the device out of operation for a couple of days at a time frequently in order to give its complicated mechanism a thorough cleaning, as the nature of the sorting operation is inherently dirty and the mechanism of the device is so complicated that its cleaning is a substantial chore.